A rather large number of days ago I got the first DVD of Ookami to koshinryo, better known as Spice and Wolf, which I when the first episode was released. I got the limited edition, which came in with a number of extra features (which still don’t justify its ~ ¥6800 price tag, though). The main one is the inclusion of a 300 piece puzzle, illustrated by the artist who works on the original novels.

I still haven’t tackled this, and given my recent time constraints I expect this to stay in unassembled form for a long time. Aside this, in the box there are two cardboard illustrations (card game sized), which also appear in the ending sequence, a small booklet with some settei (character designs), world and character information, and some small promotional leaflets.

The DVD contains three episodes (sadly just for this first volumes, another reminder that the Japanese DVD releases aren’t really good value for their money), and presents, in my opinion, sub-par presentation, as the menu clearly shows. There are no sub-menus, everything is presented on a static page with links directly to the content (episode chapters) and the only extra feature of this release: the credits-less opening sequence.

Quality-wise, there are no obvious improvements, actually the most picky people will probably notice less quality than on the DVD (due to the fact that the original broadcasting was in HD format, and the DVD is SD). I noticed some color saturation issues on Windows (with PowerDVD), but none of the sort on Linux (kaffeine). At least the original 16:9 aspect ratio is there (one never knows…).

Aside that, content-wise the same points I made while viewing the first episode still apply: it’s a highly atypical yet interesting series. Despite the lack of “action”, all the episodes are intriguing and the “economics” element adds a nice touch. Of course it’s not your typical series, so some may find it boring, but I really recommend it (although I’m fairly sure, like with other interesting series like , that it will go mostly ignored…)

Today I got the first Maho Shojo Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS R2 DVD in the mail. Even though I haven’t watched it properly yet (I plan on doing so tomorrow) I can say I’m already impressed. Usually Japanese DVDs are little more than improved video tapes: they provide just the bare minimum (and not for a cheap price). However, this is not the case with Nanoha StrikerS.

First of all, the packaging: I got the special first-press edition, and it has a rather nice box-like cardboard housing. Inside not only we get the DVD itself, but also a CD with a mini-OST. Along with that there is a booklet (about 10 pages) with settei and also a glossary of the terms used in the series. Finally, there are two ID cards, one for Subaru and one for Nanoha:

A nice A4 poster with the young and older Nanoha was also present with the DVD. I cant’ really show images of that as it’s too big to fit on my scanner, and I am not too well versed in stitching partial scans together.

What about the content? It has been known (and posted elsewhere) that the animation has been redone in a few places. I need to verify that personally, so expect updates in the next few days. What I know is that the DVD also contains extras (another rare thing in the land of the rising sun), mainly an interview with Nanoha and Subaru’s seiyuu, along with footage from a Nanoha event.

So, what to say up to now? I’m pleasantly surprised that for a change this DVD provides some extra value for its money (5,800 yen isn’t cheap). I will be sure to follow up with opinions on the content itself.